Top rail



Nov. 11, 1941.. SYMINGTON 2,262,263

TOP RAIL Filed June 8, 1959 I 5 E INVENTOR i1 .1 ALLWYN E. SYMINGTON I T1 T 1 @jl 5mm ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE TOP RAIL Allwyn E. Symington, Woodside, N. Y.

Application June 8, 1939, Serial No. 278,067

12 Claims.

The invention relates to a metal reinforced partition and specificallyrelates to a means for connecting a top rail with a stud or otherupright element of the metal reinforcement of the partition.

The present disclosure constitutes a companion application with thedisclosure in my copending application Serial No. 278,068 filed undereven date and entitled Method of and means for constructing partitions.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simplified form ofmetal reinforcement at the top of a partition, in which the uprights maybe quickly and conveniently anchored in position without necessity ofusing fastening means and to this extent the present disclosureillustrates two structures by means of which the method disclosed in thecopending application may be practiced.

The invention particularly features the assembling of the upright to thetop rail in such manner that the uprights can be simply hooked inposition and then dropped into their finally seated position while beingguided by their sliding engagement with the top flange during thisseating operation.

The invention has for its general object the providing of a rugged andmutually braced form of metal reinforcing structure which can beconstructed of the least possible amount of material and withoutnecessity of using skilled labor in fabricating the structure.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in partobvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawing and in part willbe more fully set forth in the following particular description of oneform of top rail embodying the invention, and the invention alsoconsists in certain new and novel features of construction andcombination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a top rail with its midportion broken away tosave space and showing installed in position one of the uprights of themetal reinforcement;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the completed partition andadjacent portion of the ceiling with the metal parts taken on the line2-2 of Fig, 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrow;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View looking upwardly on to the toprail from the plane indicated by the line 3--3 of Fig. 1 showing one ofthe uprights in position in full lines, and another upright in anintermediate position in dotted outlines;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are correspondingly similar views of a modified form oftop rail disclosing a different means for anchoring the uprightsthereto; and

Figs. '7 and 8 are views respectively similar to Figs. 4 and 5 showingstill another modified form of the anchoring means.

Referring generally to all of the figures, there is disclosed a ceilingA depending from which is a partition B provided with metalreinforcements C and which include primarily a top rail Ill and aplurality of uprights I l spaced along the length of the partition 13 asis usual in such structures.

Referring first to the form of the invention disclosed in Figs. 1 to 3,it will be noted that the top rail includes a relatively shorthorizontally extending ceiling engaging flange l2 which is secured tothe ceiling A by nails l3. This top rail includes a deep, rugged,depending flange [4 which also functions as a guide for the upper end ofthe uprights. The flange I4 is provided with a plurality of horizontallyspaced apart anchor i5 prelocated to define the position of the severaluprights II which are to be used in the completed partition. As theseanchors are similarly formed, the description of one will be sufiicientfor any of the others. Midheight of the flange M, it is cut therethroughwith two parallel slits l6 and IT and a connecting slit Ill. The portionof metal between these slits is bent at right angles to the plane of theflange to form the anchors as J-shaped socket or tongue open at top andbottom. More specifically described, the anchor comprises a verticallyextending plate-like wing 21! which projects integrally at right anglesfrom the flange and is dimensioned to have the web 2| of the upright Hfit against the same when one of the side flanges 22 of the upright isin sidewise flat abutting engagement with the adjacent side of theflange I4 asshown in Fig. 3. The extension beyond the wing 20 is bent atright angles thereto, engage the other side flange 23 of the upright andis then again bent back upon itself to form an end wing 24 parallelingthe wing 20 and designed to receive the upright therebetween. Betweenthe edge of the wing 24 and the adjacent side of the flange 14, there isprovided a long opening 25 of sufficient width to permit the upright tobe hooked into the same as indicated by the dotted showing to the leftof Fig. 3. It is noted that the upper end 26 of the upright H is spacedbelow flange l2 a distance to permit the lower end of the upright toclear a base rail not herein shown but disclosed in the copendingapplication.

In assembling the parts shown in Figs. 1 to 3, and assuming that the toprail is properly located, the uprights, one after the other, are simplyhooked into the tongue or socket and rotated from the dotted lineposition shown at the left of Fig. 3 into the full line position shownat the right of Fig. 3 after which the upright is permitted to drop downin the direction of its own length, during which time the upper end ofthe upright is guided in its sliding movement through the tongue and isguided by its engagement with the flange I4.

Referring to the modified form of attachment, shown in Figs. 4 to 6, thedepending flange is cut therethrough with two sets of slits. Themidportion of the flange is slit along the line 21-28-29 and the portionof metal therebetween is bent at right angles to the plane of thedepending flange to form a wing 29' having a width to flt between theside flanges of the upright as shown in Fig. 6. The lower portion of thedepending flange I4 is slit along the line 30-3l and the portion ofmetal between the same and the lower edge 32 of the flange is bent atright angles to its plane to form another wing 33 extending parallel tothe wing 29 and disposed on the outer side of the web of the upright.The openings 34 and 35 remaining in the plane of the depending flangeare open to each other across the edge 32 to provide a recess forreceiving the upper end of the-upright.

In assembling the upright into this structure, it is simply pushedupwardly through the recess and extends through the lower opening 35 andpartially into the upper opening 34 as shown in Fig. 4. It will beunderstood that by this construction, the upright is held from allmovements except the desired limited movement in the direction of itsown length.

Referring to the form of the invention disclosed in Figs. 7 and 8, thelower edge 32 is slit upwardly along four parallel lines including tworelatively short lines 36 and 37 and at middistance therebetween alongtwo closely positioned long lines 38 and 39. The lines 38 and 39 arespaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the webportion of the upright l l, The portion of metal between the long lines38 and 39 is blanked out to form the slits 36 and 38 on one side of theslot N) and that between the slits 39 and 3? on the other side are bentout of the plane of the flange M to form two horizontally extending earsor plates 4! and 42 each having a width as shown in Fig. 8 to fitbetween the side flanges of the upright irrespective as to whichdirection the channel may be facing. Bending the ears out of the flangeleaves a recess 43 in the lower edge 32 of the depending plate.

In this form of construction the upright is simply pushed upwardlylocating its web in the slot Mi and causing the ears to engage, onefitting in the channel and engaging the channel side of the web with theother engaging the opposite or rear side of the web. 'In this way theupright is held from rotary movement about its own axis as well as fromall other possible movement except the longitudinal movement necessaryto locate it in position.

Insofar as all forms of this invention are concerned, the upper ends ofthe uprights can be easily and quickly inserted in their prefixeddefinitely located position and locked in position restrained from allundesired movement andthis can be obtained without necessity of weldingor otherwise fastening the uprights to the top rail. With the metalreinforcement completely assembled in position, a wall of cementitiousmaterial is applied following conventional practices in this respect tocomplete the partition. It is noted that in both forms of the inventionopenings such as 34 and 35 in Fig. 4 and openings 36 in Fig. 3 areprovided midheight of the depending flange of the top rail and thispermits the looking together of the material on opposite sides of thedepending flange in the vicinity of the upper ends of the severaluprights.

While there have been shown, described and pointed out in the annexedclaims, certain novel features of the invention, it will be understoodthat various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form anddetails of the device illustrated and in its operation may be'made bythose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

I claim:

1. A partition including a top rail having a horizontal ceiling engagingflange and a depending flange, a channel shaped upright depending fromthe rail with its upper end spaced below the ceiling flange, saiddepending flange being slit and the slit portion bent to extend at rightangles to the plane of the depending flange to form a verticallyextending wing for engaging one side of the upright and to form anopening in the depending flange, and a wall of cementitious material inwhich the depending flange and the upright is embedded, with thematerial extending through the opening and thus tending to lock togetherthe material on opposite sides of the depending flange in the vicinityof the upper end of the upright.

'22. A metal reinforcement for a partition including a verticallydisposed plate, a channel form of upright having one of its side flangesabutting one side of the plate and having its web extendingperpendicular to the plane of the plate, said plate provided with aslitted portion forming means integral with the plate and bent from theplane of the plate forming a pair of vertically extending parallel wingsextending perpendicular to the plane of the plate, located on oppositesides of the upright and coacting with the plate to locate the adjacentend of the upright in place, and said upright having a. limited degreeof vertical movement in the direction of its own length, through saidmeans while being guided in such movement by said means and by theplate.

3. A metal reinforcement for a partition including a top rail having avertically disposed plate, a channel form of upright having one of itsside flanges in flatwise abutting relation to the plate for a portion ofthe vertical width of the plate and having its web extendingperpendicular to the plane of the plate, said plate provided with anextension projecting integrally from one side thereof and forming avertically disposed plate-like wing engaging one face of the web of thechannel and having its free end bent back upon itself to form ahook-like end engaging at least one other face of the channel.

4. A partition comprising a horizontally extending L-shaped plateincluding a horizontally extending ceiling engaging flange and adepending flange, means formed integral with the depending flange,projecting therefrom beneath the ceiling flange bent back upon itselfand thus forming a hook-like socket open at top and hottom, a verticallyextending element having its upper portion in engagement with andlapping the vertical flange, fitted in the socket, and having its upperend spaced below the ceiling flange.

5. A partition construction comprising a top rail including a verticallyextending plate, a channel forming an upright with the upper end of oneof its flanges engaging one side of the plate and with its web extendingperpendicularly to the plane of the plate, and an anchoring hook havingone end secured to the plate and partly surrounding the upright, the endof the hook secured to the plate extending perpendicular thereto andengaging the web of the upright, the opening of the hook beingsufiicient to permit the upright to be intruded by a rotary movementabout a self-contained longitudinal axis into the hook to cause the webof the upright to fit against a portion of the hook fashioned to receivethe same.

6. A metallic frame for a partition construction comprising a top railincluding a vertically disposed plate, a plurality of uprights engagingat their upper ends one face of the plate, a plurality of hook-liketongues, one for each upright spaced along and secured to the plate andeach tongue provided with an opening leading into the interior thereof,partly encircling its associated upright engaging the same along threefaces and acting to secure its upright to the plate by virtue of itsconfiguration and otherwise free of fastening means.

'7. A metallic partition including a depending flange of a top rail,said flange provided with two sets of slits, the parts outlined by eachof said sets of slits being bent in the same direction out of the planeof the flange to form a pair of vertically disposed parallel integralextensions fashioned to secure between them an upright element of themetallic frame.

8. A metallic frame for a partition including a depending flange of atop rail, the lower edge of said flange having a vertically extendingslit, an upright having its upper end intruded into the slit, a portionof the flange at one end of the slit being bent out of the plane of theflange to form an extension engaging one side of the upright and aportion of the flange at the other end of the slit also bent out of theplane of the flange to form another lateral extension engaging anopposite side of the upright.

9. A metal reinforcement for a partition including a top rail providedwith a ceiling engaging flange having means for securing it to a ceilingand with a depending flange, said flange being slit adjacent itsmidheight and-the part between the slits bent to form a laterallyextending wing adapted to engage one side of another element of thereinforcement, the portion of the flange between the first mentionedslits and the lower edge of the depending flange being also slit and thepart between these other slits bent to form a wing extending parallel tothe first named wing and adapted to engage the opposite side of saidother element, and said slits also coacting to form a recess openingfrom the bottom edge of the depnding flange and designed to receive saidother element.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination of a top railincluding a depending plate provided with a recess in its bottom edgeand a slot extending vertically upward from the recess, a channel formof upright having its web intruded into the slot, said upright extendinglengthwise downwardly beyond the lower edge of said depending plate inthe direction of the plane thereof, said plate provided with twohorizontally extending ears bent out of the plane of the plate thusforming the recess and forming plates, one fitting in the channel of theupright and engaging the channel side of the web and the other engagingthe opposite side of the channel web.

11. A metal reinforcement for a partition including a top rail providedwith a ceiling engaging flange having means for securing it to a ceilingand with a depending flange, said flange provided with a verticallyextending slot and also slit inwardly from said lower edge on oppositesides of the slot, the material between the slot and these slits beingbent out of the plane of the flange to form a pair of horizontallyextending ears adapted to engage opposite sides of a channel form ofupright when its upper end is intruded lengthwise past said lower edgeinto the slot.

12. In combination, a vertically disposed plate, a channel shapedupright extending across the lower edge of the plate, and retainingmeans integral with the plate and bent therefrom outwardly from theplane of the plate for engaging opposite Sides of the upright and actingto resist relative movement between the plate and upright in twodirections and engaging at least one side of the web portion of thechannel.

ALLWYN E. SYNIINGTON.

